Considerable difficulty and inconvenience has been experienced when thermally insulated containers, such as the refrigeration units of tractor-trailers, are to be used with a "short" load where the load does not occupy the entire volume of the trailer. The associated refrigeration units must operate inefficiently to cool the entire enclosure rather than just the area occupied by the load.
Another difficulty is experienced when containers are to be used for contents that must be kept at different temperatures. Ice cream, for example, is typically transported at approximately 0.degree. F. Fresh vegetables, on the other hand, do not require freezing temperatures. A thermal barrier must therefore be placed between the frozen materials and the remaining materials that are desired to be kept cool but not frozen.
As a solution to this problem, various manufacturers have produced rigid barrier structures that may be assembled within an insulated container to isolate a desired area of the container. Such barriers provide a thermal "break" to facilitate shipment or storage of materials that require different surrounding air temperatures. Such barriers are effective but are not easily adapted to containers having differing internal wall configurations or dimensions. Additionally, the rigid barrier structures are very expensive, bulky and difficult to handle.
The present thermal barrier is provided to effectively thermally isolate the interior of a container while providing distinct advantages over the prior, rigid barrier configurations.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a thermal barrier that is portable in nature and that may be easily stored in a compact configuration for ease in transport and storage.
Another object is to provide such a barrier that is easily adapted to conform to container interior wall structures having varying dimensions.
Another object is to provide such a barrier that can be installed utilizing conventional load locks that are typically used to secure a load in place within a thermal container such that the load lock may be used both to secure the cargo load and to support the thermal barrier.
A still further important object is to provide such a device that is easily installed and removed, requiring minimal time and effort by the installer.
These and still further objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading the following description which, taken with the accompanying drawings, exemplify a preferred form of the invention.